Disturbed
by Raven Kurohoshi
Summary: Jacklyn Frost, the descendant of the princess, was locked away for someone else's benefit. Years later she's let out because the moonlight bandits need her. But have the years left her crazy? Or is it just an act? Rated for violence.
1. How It Started

"_My mother was a clever woman. I will give her that much. To this day I am amazed by how wonderfully she crafted her will. Leaving me all her money, and insuring that my father would not receive a cent should I meet with any unfortunate 'accidents.'_

_However, though my dearly departed mother was clever, even expecting her own demise. She did not account for my father's love of money, which can make any man clever. _

_In her will she stated, unknowingly, I'm sure, that my father would have control of my inheritance should I not be in my right mind. _

_Thus, my father had me committed."_

And so ends the last entry into Jacklyn "Admete" Frost's diary. The last entry she would make for a long time.

A very long time.

'_Life in a mental institution couldn't be that bad. We've come a long way from the places of horror they used to be.'_

These were my thoughts as I was driven down the road to the institution. They were hollow words. I had little confidence in my ability to escape the place and deep within me I harbored the feeling that, this being my father's choice of residence for me, it would be as hellish a place as possible.

My father, driving the car that was leading me to what I was sure was my doom, seemed unreasonably cheerful.

"Don't worry, kid. You'll love it there, plenty of nice people to meet."

"I don't feel crazy." I saw no hope in arguing my case, but rather, felt the need to protest.

My father chuckled.

"I'm sure you don't, but Mr. McCaskey assured me that your behavior is that of someone suffering from multiple personalities."

"How interesting," I commented dryly. "How come I never met this man?"

"Oh, you did, you just don't remember."

"I'm sure I don't."

"Yes, because your other self was out at the time. She's very horrible that Admete."

"I'm sure she is." This Mr. McCaskey had probably been bribed. My father chuckled again.

"That's why we're sending you here,_ darling, _to get you all better. Though they say it's incurable," he added.

"I'm sure it is." My sarcasm was lost on him. He was too busy humming a happy tune.

Jacklyn quickly found out what life at Harper's Home Institute would involve. Shortly after arrival her father signed in at a big white desk in the foyer. Jacklyn stood to the side, wondering why she couldn't see any patients around. Her question was answered when her eyes feel to the two doors leading out of either side of the room. Heavy locks and bolts barred exit or entrance.

"Now, where is the patient?" The perky looking nurse asked, her voice was laced with a false cheeriness.

Jacklyn made her first mistake.

"I believe that would be me, ma'am." She raised her hand tentatively. _Just act harmless and they'll give you some slack._

"Oh, well then," The nurse turned to Jacklyn's father. "Would you like a tour or should we just get this little birdie to her nest?" She shot a look at Jacklyn that managed to be bother venomous and fake sugary at the same time.

"Oh, no, I don't want to intrude. You just get her settled without me." Her father said with a smile. It was the smile her used to have just before he hurt her mother. Long after her mother had learned to hate her.

"Well then, if you'll follow me." The nurse waved Jacklyn through one of the doors. She heard the scrape of metal as it was locked behind her.

"Um, I don't think this is really…" Jacklyn trailed off, turning to leave. But the nurse grabbed her arms with a surprisingly strong grip.

"Oh, no you don't." She muttered and with that dragged the ten year old to her cell.

Jacklyn shared a room with a man who called himself Finius. He seemed a harmless man, considering that he was old and frail, his ribs stuck out and his face was sunken and hollow. This did not make Jacklyn feel optimistic about her fate.

Finius didn't speak much, to anyone in the room that is, but kept a running conversation with the air. When the nurse shoved Jacklyn into the room he was muttering what sounded like:

"Escape, escape, must escape." He rocked back and forth slightly and stared at the wall, sitting, curled up on his cot.

_Oh dear._ Jacklyn backed over to the other side of the room, hearing the door being locked. She sank into her cot and watched him for a moment.

"Well, they put you in with me, eh?" Finius had a dry, crackled voice, sounding like the desert sand. His laugh was humorless.

"Yes, it appears they did." Jacklyn replied.

"Are you crazy?" Finius asked suddenly.

"Apparently, or they would have stuck me in here."

"Do you think you're crazy?" He gave her a shrewd look.

"Well, there is the slight matter of my mother's will…"

"Which gives everything to someone else should you be insane." Finius replied with a nod. "We're birds of a feather you and I. My will's the same; son stuck me in here years ago. Stick with me and I'll teach you to get by."

"I see."

"Now the first thing you need is---

Jacklyn learned a lot in one afternoon. Finius, pleased to find that she was unusually intelligent, was happy to teach her everything he knew. Which was this:

· You need a goal. "Me? My goal has been escape, I like that goal, because by the time you've escaped, you won't need to think of another goal. See?"

· Let them think you are completely insane. "If you're off you're rocker they won't bother with you. Clever huh?"

· Act as defeated as possible. "A weak enemy is an underestimated enemy."

· Try to stay in shape. "Emphasis on the 'try' part of that one."

· Never think of your past or home. "It'll drive you crazy, it will."

· Never give up. "Never you here me?" (Here he had stormed up and down shouting with frustration and determination.) "NEVER! Never! Give! Up!"

After that Finius saw fit to "unleash you on the population," something he thought was a great joke, and show Jacklyn how the Rules could be applied to daily life.

"Never look the nurses in the eyes, it makes them nervous," Finius said, as they traveled to the sitting room where patients could read small story books or play cards. "They've forgotten that we're human you see, it's how they deal with us, but if you look them directly in the eyes, they'll remember."

"You make this place sound so cruel. Look, there are people playing cards, it can't be that bad." Jacklyn replied.

Finius gave the girl a mournful look.

"They can't just leave us in our rooms all day. This is the room where people come for an hour of leisure. After that, there is time spent with a shrink, you won't be cured by the way, and the rest of the time is divided between staying quiet in your room."

"All day?"

"Usually, they do have a small garden that some patients work in, but those are the rare few, most of us just sit around, trying not to go more insane. Sometimes they have patients clean the place, though."

Seeing Jacklyn's face he patted on the shoulder and smiled encouragingly.

After seeing the 'leisure room' Finius showed Jacklyn to the cafeteria.

"This is our destination. Take a seat, don't ever get up."

"Why not?"

"Because if you get up you will get in a lot of trouble. Remember that, kid, they aren't afraid to use sedatives, straight jackets, or strap you to a Gurney for no particular reason. The showers are cold and sometimes they don't feed you."

"This place is horrible. How can it exist?"

"What? You thought the evilness of the place would cause it to crumble or something?"

At that moment Jacklyn was saved from having to answer by the arrival of her food. It was an unidentifiable grayish substance that bore a strong resemblance to oatmeal in everything, but taste and smell. It smelled like corn, while it didn't have any real taste at all.

"Yeah, this is what they always give us."

Jacklyn was content to play the defeated prisoner role for awhile, as Finius had advised her. She would watch, wait and see if she could find an opening. Planning was essential.

Finius meanwhile, seemed to be coming to the end of his leash. For the next four months, during which Jacklyn went largely unnoticed, Finius seemed to wither before her eyes. He tried to stay in shape. Doing the push-ups and crunches her did everyday, but each one seemed to be a little harder for him. He ate a little less, his eyes grew a little more dull. However, the determination in them didn't fade.

One day, he seemed to be distracted all day. In the morning he said very little to Jacklyn and what he said, unnerved her.

"I miss, home. I really do. It was a pretty place, with lots of fields and the like." He gazed off into the distance.

"You're breaking your own rules." Jacklyn pointed out.

"I know. I can't help it."

At lunch it happened. Finius turned to Jacklyn and said.

"You're a smart girl, you know that? You can make it here. Maybe even make it out of here."

"You helped me. I couldn't have done it without that help." Jacklyn said, not liking where the conversation was going.

"I gave up most of my years to this place. Many years. Years where I could've been happy."

"You're a really strong guy." Jacklyn murmured. She knew this was an important moment.

"Well, I've had enough. I fought in World War II for crying out loud. This is it. The old tiger is braver when he senses his end."

With that, Finius stood up. All eyes in the room landed on him. The cafeteria was large, but no one was aloud to stand up. Ever.

"Sit down." One of the nurses had come over.

"OUT!" Finius screamed. "I want out!"

"Sit down!" More nurses were coming over, some of them male.

Jacklyn shuddered. She had seen a male nurse give a patient a split lip and black eye for crying. However, Finius either didn't notice his danger or didn't care. He fought them all of, even when they pulled out needles, he didn't allow them near him. Finally, one large man got behind him and hit him. There was a sickening crack and Finius slumped over.

"Finius!" Jacklyn was up and standing over him, before she even noticed she had moved.

"Take him to the morgue." She heard a voice say. Someone lifted her up off the ground, but she fought viciously, until a prick in her arm turned everything black.

Jacklyn woke in her room hours later. The light from the full moon shone through her small window. She was alone. Nothing seemed to have changed, even Finius's cot was still there, though he was not.

All that day Jacklyn spent in her room, not leaving for food, even though her stomach rumbled and hurt.

That afternoon she was sent to see the psychiatrist. She never enjoyed these visits, being in the uncomfortable position of regarding Dr. Sanchez as her enemy, while he was trying desperately to help her, despite the fact that no one was ever going to let her out of the institute, sane or otherwise.

Despite Jacklyn's best efforts Dr. Sanchez believed the reports that she had multiple personalities.

"_Well, then I think it's about time I prove him right."_ Jacklyn thought, as she was escorted through the halls to the locked room where she would speak to Dr. Sanchez.

Her thoughts gave her no comfort.

"Well, Jacklyn, how are you today?" Dr. Sanchez asked politely.

"I'm sorry, Jacklyn isn't here right now." Jacklyn replied in her coldest voice.

"She isn't?" He asked, leaning forward in his chair ever so slightly.

"No, she isn't. You'll just have to live with me." Jacklyn continued.

"And who are you?"

"Admete."

"Her other personality." He muttered.

"That is correct," Jacklyn sat herself down in a chair, getting comfortable for the game she was about to play. "She did well for awhile there. Being sent here really woke her up." Jacklyn shook her head. "She fought so hard. But she was destined to lose. We outnumber her."

"We? They're more than of you? There are other personalities?"

"For shame, Mr. S, for shame. We're people, not personalities."

"How many are there?"

"Oh, quite a few," Jacklyn/Admete responded airily. "It's hard to be precise, Jacklyn's brain is quite a mess; very loud, and crowded."

"May I meet some of the others?"

"That's up to them," Admete replied. "But not just yet, I haven't been out into the air for awhile and I want to enjoy the experience. You can wait."

"What do you want to talk about?"

Jacklyn snorted.

"What makes you think I want to talk to you?" She asked. "You're just some know nothing, do goody-two-shoes with too much time on your hands. On the other hand," She said thoughtfully. "I haven't spoken to another person in awhile, this could be fun."

"What do you find fun, Admete?" Dr. Sanchez asked, finally having taken up his position as official shrink.

"I find you fun." Admete replied. "I find your questions fun. I find you're trying to cure me…hilarious."

"And why is that? Don't you think you can be cured?"

"Like hell I can. You can don't get it do you?" Admete asked. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I see. How does Jacklyn feel about this?"

"Jacklyn? I don't think she's in a position to care too much. Besides, I don't give a damn."

Suddenly Jacklyn had a thought, a very mean, devious, cruel, hilarious thought. She quickly acted upon it. She made her face go blank, staring at the wall for a few moments. Dr. Sanchez, sensing that something was happening, stopped and watched her carefully.

Suddenly, Jacklyn blinked, then turned back to the doctor, smiling slightly.

"Hello. You must be Dr. Sanchez. How are you?"

"Fine, thank you. I assume you aren't Admete."

"No, I'm not. My name is Nix."

"I see, very nice to meet you, Nix. What brought you here?"

"Admete can be so rude sometimes; I thought it best that I intervene."

And so continued the rest of the session, Jacklyn greatly enjoyed it, for once and resolved to make the most of people's belief that she was crazy.

After the therapy session Jacklyn was returned to her room, where she spent many hours happily plotting her next game. She plotted her characters, adding and subtracting, giving them depth and stories, all in accordance with her one rule:

"If your stuck here forever, might as well enjoy it."

This rule would be the heart of her new campaign. She would not give up her hope of escape, far from it. She was more determined than ever, but she would mess with the minds of her captors for as long as possible with only one goal: To have as much fun as possible.

"This could be fun. This could be REALLY fun."

Author's Notes:

Raven: Yay! First published fanfic ever! And we're off to a great start, I must say. Next chapter you get to meet the Moonlight Bandits, I promise. For now keep in mind that Mahiru doesn't exist...well she does...as Jacklyn...Mahiru is Jacklyn...'kay? 'Kay.

Jacklyn: Yes. I am her. She is me....-spooky voice- wuahahahah!

Raven: Yeah...she came undone. But that's why this'll be interesting. Next time! Bye!


	2. Nurses Are For Cowards

**6 Years Later**

"I'm sorry sirs, but she really is most unstable. Her condition prevents her from having any visitors, save for a shrink who is most disturbed by her behavior and her aunt who visits once a month."

The nurse glanced nervously at the short, black haired boy, Misoka. She then glanced back at the other three boys, a tall, handsome blonde named Nozomu, a brown haired boy with very many piercings called Akira, and a grumpy looking boy who was glaring at the walls. Maybe he was going to be committed? She couldn't remember his name.

"You heard what I said. We need to talk the females here, born between the years we gave you."

The nurse pursed her lips, but didn't ask. She had a feeling they wouldn't answer anyway.

"There are only three girls of those ages here. You've already spoken with the other two. However, she is a special case."

"Why is that?" The blonde, Nozomu, wanted to know.

"She is most unstable; she has multiple personalities, and is schizophrenic."

There was a pause as this sunk in.

"Is she dangerous?" Misoka asked, he seemed to be the leader of this unlikely group.

"Yes. Just today she started raving under the lunch hour and attacked a male nurse, we had to sedate her."

"Sedate?" Akira asked, sounding concerned. The nurse hurried to sooth him, no need for guests to get too worried.

"It's very safe, we only used enough sedative to get her onto a Gurney and strap her down. That's where she is now. She should be waking up soon in fact."

"Oh, well then, aren't we lucky?" Mitsuru muttered from the back of the group. He was ignored.

"How often does she have to be sedated?" Misoka inquired.

"Fairly often, we wouldn't need it, but it's so hard to get her into a straightjacket without it, and getting her strapped to a Gurney while conscious is impossible." The nurse remarked with a sigh.

There was a pause as they turned a corner; walking past rows of doors, some with windows and some without.

"Are the restraints necessary?" Misoka asked.

"I'm afraid so, she's most uncooperative, very stubborn you might say."

"I see," Misoka pushed his glasses, angling them so that when the nurse looked down at him the glare flashed into her eyes.

They stopped outside of one room, it had a small window, just big enough to see the window looking outside, but little else.

"Well, this is her room. Would you like me to come inside?" The nurse inquired, silently praying to get away from the weird visitors.

Misoka seemed to read her mind.

"We can handle it from here, thank you. We know the way back as well."

With that, the nurse left them. Once she had turned the corner and disappeared from sight, the group turned to their leader.

"She doesn't sound like she could be very helpful, Misoka." Nozomu said.

"We still have to try though, otherwise…" Akira trailed off.

"I'm still against this goddamn it!"

"Yes, Mitsuru, we gathered as much." Misoka said. "We'll go in and see what there is to see

anyway. If we're quiet there's a chance that she won't notice us."

They quietly entered the room. It was sparsely furnished with a bed in the nook on the right and a Gurney of the left. Everything was white. This was where they got their first glimpse of Jacklyn Frost.

The girl strapped to the Gurney was awake, of that they were sure. Her wide open, dark blue eyes and the constant movement of her lips was evidence of that. She was so focused of whatever she was muttering that she didn't appear to notice their entrance.

She was taller than most girls, and very thin, with the build of an athlete. She had hip length brown hair, which was streaked through with electric blue highlights.

There were straps running over her body, one over the collar bone, one over her upper thighs, one over her stomach, and one over the calves.

"Okay, you can do this. You _will_ do this. One. Two. Three." She took a deep breath and arched her back, pulling at the restraints. However, they held securely.

"Fuck!" She cried, and within seconds she was in an all out struggle, thrashing uselessly against the straps.

After about a minute she stopped, panting, and lay back against the Gurney. Her muttering had become loud enough for them to hear what she was saying.

"Must get out, must. Remember the rules. Need escape. Need a goal. Have to get out. Rule 8: Don't panic. Think, think. Let's see. Logical, logical…um…I wonder."

There was a pause as she squirmed a little.

"Right…arms…I need to get the arms free…idiot…why didn't I think of that sooner?"

She squirmed a little more.

"Huh…If I inch down a little…maybe." She squirmed downward inching slowly until the strap running over her stomach got... caught.

"Um…this is…awkward…" There was a pause. "I HATE PUBERTY!" She yelled suddenly. "This wouldn't have been a problem _four years ago_!"

There was a pause as Jacklyn struggled to regain her composure.

"Maybe if I go the _other_ way." She muttered after a time.

She then proceeded to squirm upward, inching the strap down. After a few inches her head fell off the Gurney.

"Fuck…that's okay…that's totally okay…keep moving Jacklyn…you can do it."

With that she continued to squirm, allowing her head to lie off the Gurney at what must have been a rather uncomfortable angle. Eventually the strap holding her arms down was no longer, in fact, holding them down. This allowed her to bend her left elbow and undo the strap that had previously been over her collar bone.

"I'm awesome! I'm so awesome! I can't believe it's working! Why didn't I think of this sooner?"

Jacklyn sat up, and for the first time realized she was being watched.

The boys were staring at her with something akin to horrified fascination mixed with shock.

Jacklyn stared at them with shock and horror. Mostly horror.

Suddenly there was an explosion of action as Jacklyn yanked off the rest of the straps and made a break for the door.

Within a second all four boys had attacked, trying to subdue the 'psychotic' patient. However, Jacklyn wasn't giving up without a fight. She bit, scratched, kicked and punched, going all out against the boys until they let her go.

She stumbled away from them, breathing heavily, and backed up against the wall opposite the door. They fanned out, breaking off her only means of escape.

"Take it easy. We don't want a fight." Misoka said soothingly, making hand motions as though trying not to frighten a wild animal.

"Yeah, of course you don't," Jacklyn said sarcastically. "Who does? Not when you can just break out the tranquilizers."

"Why did we let the nurse run off?" Mitsuru asked. He looked about ready to do something stupid, Misoka thought.

"Nurses," Jacklyn muttered darkly, "are for cowards."

"Look. Everyone calm down." Misoka said, naturally taking the lead. "We just want to talk with you." He turned to Jacklyn. "If we didn't would we have watched you get out of those straps?"

He nodded at the Gurney, watching as Jacklyn flinched. "Wouldn't we have had a nurse here to strap you down again immediately?"

"Fine, you want to talk," Jacklyn snapped. "Talk about what?"

"We have a problem and we need you're help with it." Misoka said. He gestured to the Gurney.

"Why don't you sit down, it's a long story."

Jacklyn snorted.

"You can sit on that thing. I'm not that stupid." She sat on the floor with her knees drawn up to her chest.

Misoka regarded her for a moment before he sank onto the Gurney.

"You must be wondering who we are. I'm Misoka, that's Akira," he gestured to the boy. "That's Nozomu." Nozomu nodded to her, a flirtatious smile already in place. "And that's Mitsuru." Mitsuru's scowl grew slightly more pronounced. "That reminds me, I don't believe I got _your_ name."

"Jacklyn. Jacklyn Frost." Jacklyn nodded slightly.

"I see, nice to make your acquaintance."

"Pleasure to meet you," she said, in a tone of tired sarcasm.

"We are here because we need your help with something very important to us," Misoka began.

"You see, we are a group of demons called the Lunar Race and we need to recover these

treasures that were taken from us a long time ago. They are called the Teardrops of the Moon and to recover them we need your help."

"Why?"

"Because you are the descendant of the princess who married a demon that was guarding the Tears."

"Oh." Jacklyn said. "Of course. That makes complete sense. Just because some doctors say I've 'lost touch with reality' doesn't mean I'll swallow this bull."

"It's true," Nozomu said.

"Who told you?"

"Hm?" Misoka looked at her inquiringly.

"That I was having dreams about demons. Every time I'm sedated I have a dream about them. On the night of the full moon I have a dream about them. Some other nights too, I never told anyone.

How do you know?"

"That's proof. You _are_ the descendant of the princess." Misoka said, he looked at the others and they smiled, seeming happy with this discovery.

Jacklyn stood and brushed some imaginary dust of her perfectly white, form fitting pants, then off the front of her white tank top.

"Okay, say you're right and I haven't just finally lost it. What kind of help do you need?"

Misoka glanced sharply at her, no doubt wondering at her choice of words. Nozomu spoke this time.

"Well, you see, our powers fluctuate according to the current moon phase, and we have the most power at full moon, almost none at new moon."

"I'm listening." Jacklyn had turned so that she was looking out the window, out at the view she had stared at for the past six years. A view she would no doubt see in her sleep for many years to come.

"Well, the best opportunity to recover one of the Tears just happens to come on a new moon."

Jacklyn tilted her head to the side, still surveying the land outside.

"There's that word again… 'recover' what does that mean? Steal?" She glanced at them.

This time, it was the boys who flinched.

"I take it that I'm right." Jacklyn smirked. "Interesting." She turned back to the window.

"The authorities have taken to calling us the 'moonlit bandits' maybe you've heard of us?" Misoka asked.

Jacklyn snorted.

"We don't exactly get newspapers in here. Though my aunt lends me enough books to keep me occupied."

"I see. Well, would you agree to helping us?"

"You still haven't said how."

"The descendant of the princess should be able to draw out this full moon condition in us at any time, whatever the moon phase." Nozomu explained.

"How?"

"Some form of physical contact." Nozomu replied. "Hugging, something like that."

"Oh. Wouldn't that require me to…" Jacklyn trailed off, thinking. Despite being locked up for a good portion of her life she was a very smart girl.

"We would need to remove you from this facility." Misoka finished her thought.

"That's not happening." Jacklyn sighed and sat down next to Misoka on the Gurney.

"Why not?" Akira asked.

"Because, I'm never going to be cured and my father's the one paying for me to be here. He won't let them let me out."

"Don't give up hope, you can be cured!" Nozomu said, trying to be cheerful.

Jacklyn glared at him.

"You can't be cured of insanity if you're not insane." She growled. "I never was. I never _had_ multiple personalities, I never_ had_ schizophrenia."

"But the nurse said…" Akira trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Jacklyn threw back her head and laughed.

"God, the fun I have with those nurses! And the shrink! I need to make up some new personalities for him. Maybe a serial killer, that'll keep him on his toes!"

"Wait…wait, wait, wait." Nozomu said, shaking his head. "You made that stuff up?"

"The multiple personalities or the hearing voices?" Jacklyn asked, grinning.

"Either."

"The personalities my dad made up when he sent me here. I just got bored and…helped

perpetrate the illusion." She shook her head. "I don't hear voices, but I picked up the habit of talking to myself, thinking out loud, that sort of thing. I never expected an answer or anything, but they heard it and they thought I was hearing voices or seeing things." She giggled. "It's so fun to mess with them."

There was silence as the boys stared at her in horror. Much like they had the first time they met her.

Misoka was the first to recover. He adjusted his glasses slightly. Managing to angle whatever light he could so Jacklyn got the glare.

"We'll just see what we can do to get you out of here, shall we?" He asked.

-------------------------------

Author's Notes

Raven: Well that was fun. This chapter happens to contain the one scene that...strangely enough...came to me in a dream...

Jacklyn: You're kidding...which part?

Misoka: The part where you were on the Gurney. In the dream she even figured out the only way to get off it.

Raven: Yep....that's the scene that started this whole thing! So until next time!

Mitsuru: Oh my god...save me....


	3. Getting To Know You

Jacklyn was amazed and strangely pleased to find out that Misoka possessed the ability to use hypnosis. While Akira and Mitsuru to grabbed her trunk and stowed it in the car, Misoka, Nozomu and Jacklyn stood in the main hall, the first time Jacklyn had seen it since she arrived, and Jacklyn got the treat of watching Misoka hypnotize the head nurse into letting Jacklyn go.

Nozomu and Misoka spent that time wondering if she might be enjoying the hypnosis a little _too_ much.

And then it was over. Misoka and the others were leading her out of the front doors, Misoka casually mentioning that the nurses wouldn't tell her father.

"Wait!" Jacklyn stopped, and ran back inside.

She grabbed the head nurse by the shirt collar and shook her slightly. The Moonlight Bandits watched, unable to hear what was said. They watched the head nurse walk away and waited. Almost fifteen minutes later she came back and handed Jacklyn something small.

"What was that about?" Nozomu asked.

"I just wanted to get something, it belonged to a friend of mine." Jacklyn opened her hand and looked down at them. The dog-tags that had belonged to Finius. "I heard that they had his personal belongings in storage. Turns out his son didn't want them."

And that was all she would say on the matter.

----------------

Jacklyn got a lot of odd looks on the street. She didn't have anything else to wear except the clothes from the mental institution. Thus everyone was glad when they got into the minivan and headed off.

"It'll be a three hour drive back to town you know." Nozomu warned. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah. I didn't get to eat much lunch today. Boredom got the better of me." Jacklyn grinned sheepishly. "I changed to The Queen."

"Huh?"

"She's a snobby British personality I came up with a while back. Things she's the queen of England." Jacklyn grinned.

"Why are we taking her with us!" Mitsuru hissed at Misoka. "She's crazy!"

"That's the idea." Jacklyn replied.

Misoka had to intervene then and asked that Mitsuru and Jacklyn not talk to each other for the remainder of the trip to avoid 'incidents' as he called them. Akira then infuriated Mitsuru by turning around and informing Jacklyn that because Mitsuru hadn't known about his heritage as a member of the Lunar Race he had bad control. Mitsuru's glare could have melted steel.

They made a quick stop at a drive through where they discovered that Jacklyn liked to put french fries into her hamburger. They also learned that she had never been to a drive through before. This day was just full of great, new things.

"Oh god! That was good." Jacklyn sat back in her seat. After six years of tasteless and probably not very healthy food her tastebuds were crying with joy.

"Wait 'till Akira gets her some ramen noodles." Nozomu muttered to Misoka.

-----------------------------

Three hours later Nozomu pulled the van into the garage of a nightclub called 'Moonshine' and everyone got out.

"So this is where you live?" Jacklyn asked.

"Yep. Ever since we got together to search for the Teardrops. And you!" Akira said cheerfully. "We also had to search for you!"

"Are you always this happy?"

"Most of the time." Akira whistled a tune as he walked inside.

Jacklyn wandered into the Moonshine and received the grand tour. The had even been so kind as to have a room ready for her.

Akira went to the kitchen to make a celebratory dinner. Misoka said that he had business to attend to and went in the direction of the library, a comfortable room filled with books that might lead to the Teardrops. Mitsuru has disappeared after muttering about insufferable humans while Nozomu informed Jacklyn that Oboro and Katsura were at the Lunar Palace, meeting with the Moon Emperor, but would be back to speak with her the next day.

"So, have you guys always lived here?" Jacklyn asked.

"No. Misoka lived at the Lunar Palace. I grew up in Osaka. Akira came from a village north of here. We came together to find the Teardrops. And the Descendant of the Princess. At least we got part of it." Nozomu looked at her, seemingly sizing her up.

"What about Mitsuru?"

"You interested in him?" Nozomu smiled flirtatiously.

"Seems to me like he really wouldn't mind watching me die a slow, painful death. I think it's in my best interest to know what his deal is."

"He doesn't really talk much to us, but don't worry. It's not personal."

"Lovely." Jacklyn looked around, fingering the dog-tags around her neck. "So you live in a nightclub."

"We live to sing." Nozomu replied. "'If you aren't singing then you might as well be dead.' That's what they say anyway."

"Interesting. A friend of mine once said something similar. But he didn't sing. He was big on goals. For example, before I met you my goal was to escape."

"And how was that working out for you?"

"I got out of the Gurney didn't I?" Jacklyn leveled a glare at him. "I spent six years on that one thought, one idea, one end. The be all and end all of my existence. And in half an hour you just...kind of...did it."

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a bad thing or not." Nozomu said.

Jacklyn shrugged and walked farther down the hall. Eventually they arrived at the kitchen. Akira was bustling around at what was most definitely not normal human speed.

"Whattcha doin'?" Jacklyn asked, watching the array of pans and ingredients flying around the counters and out of various drawers.

"I'm gonna make a special dinner!" Akira announced. "Since it's your first night with us and out of the mental institution. Would you like to help?"

Jacklyn looked around the kitchen. "I don't know how to use half of this stuff. It's been awhile since mom and I made waffles."

"Okay, I'll teach you!" Akira said cheerfully. Since Jacklyn was always looking for knowledge she agreed.

"So what do you know about cooking?" Akira asked as he peered into the refrigerator.

"Um...I can make pancakes. I read about hunting and cooking in outdoor survival situations, but that only helps if you need me to go and hunt for rabbits or squirrels and skin and gut them."

There was a pause.

A long pause.

And just when Jacklyn thought Akira might have dropped dead...

"Oh."

Jacklyn shrugged.

"I had to do something in there. Now what are we making?"

-----------------

Dinner that night was an admirably grand affair. But the silence was an awkward one. Mitsuru was glaring daggers at...well...everyone, Akira, who had started out smiling happy, had sprouted ears that were handing rather dejectedly. Nozomu was glancing around the dinner table, looking for an opening. Misoka appeared deep in thought. Jacklyn was inhaling her food.

At least the food was good. Seriously, Akira was awesome in a kitchen.

"This is ridiculous," Mitsuru grumbled. "Why the hell are we trusting the descendant of some traitor? She's just some filthy human!"

"Mitsuru," Misoka said quietly, deadly calm. "The debate is over."

And things spiraled from there until Nozomu and Mitsuru were arguing back and forth.

"Hey, Akira." Jacklyn said. "Let's go find a pack of rabid man-eating wolverines to have dinner with. I bet the company would be a lot friendlier."

There was a pause.

"The food's good though. You're an amazing cook."

Dead silence.

"Thanks." Akira said, awkwardly.

"What's this meat stuff called again?"

"Steak."

"I see."

Another pause.

"Now, what's the sauce stuff on top of the steak?"

"That's called gravy."

"Oh. It's really good on the string beans."

"Thank you."

Finally Mitsuru couldn't take it anymore. Sneering at Jacklyn he said:

"What personality is this? The crazy one finally?"

Jacklyn waved her free hand nonchalantly.

"Nonsense, Dr. Mambo's a man! If he was here you'd know about it."

There was another of the very long silences that seemed to be Jacklyn's specialty. Everyone was staring at her in a manner that was rather disconcerting. Except that she was staring at her plate while gobbling food. Suddenly she looked up and around the table.

"Sorry, that wasn't as amusing for you as it is for me." She smiled. "Laugh. Trust me, if you don't laugh about it, it'll drive you crazy."

"Except that you _are_ crazy!" Mitsuru yelled, standing up and striding out of the room.

"I'm sorry about him." Misoka said, when the silence had stretched farther than they could take. "He's difficult to live with, but..."

"No, he's fine. I kind of like him. He's loud and kind of frightening."

"Of course, that's what every girl likes in a guy." Nozomu said.

"No, ew, no. He's full of life. I missed life while I was pretending to be crazy. It's sooooooo quiet there. No one talks, no one looks anyone in the eye. It's like all the life gets sucked out of you, and the only way to stay sane is to _make_ yourself act lively." Jacklyn thought for a moment. "Which I guess roughly translates into crazy."

"Well that's okay," Nozomu said. "We all know you're not crazy. MItsuru, he'll come around eventually. We'll work things out."

"Yeah," Akira said, all perky ears and wagging tail. "Everything's gonna be all right."

-------------

Author's Notes:

Raven: Well, that's about it for now. Just a quick little chappie.

Mitsuru: That was painful to watch....

Raven: Shut up! Who asked you?

Jacklyn: I thought it wasn't bad...but when does the action start?

Raven: Patience...I'm getting there...Next time! Some conflict!

Nozomu: Mitsuru doesn't provide enough conflict as it is?

Raven: No! We need conflict! Tension! Action! Sword fights!

Misoka: Sword fights?

Raven: -dramatic voice- TO BE CONTINUED!!!!! (I've been waiting to say that...)


	4. Enter Rajnish

Location: A secluded shrine in the mountains, home of a branch of the Himura clan

An elderly woman stared down at a teen girl wearing a black t-shirt, black pants with silver chains on them and a black spiked dog collar. Her hair was black with two streaks of red framing her face. Like most teenagers her age, this girl was in the process of annoying her elders with her sense of style.

"Why must you dress like that?" The elderly woman asked, exasperated. She was dressed in traditional miko garb.

"Because I like it. Why? Do you have a problem with it?"

"This is why you were kicked out of the clan! You never follow orders! Now, when Dawn's Venus needs all of it's power! When it is at it's height, where are you? On some god forsaken mountaintop, in exile! Because you are so insubordinate! You must learn to obey your elders!"

"I never obey my elders because my elders don't a demon from a deer tick!"

"How dare you? No matter how much power they think you have, you are never going to be worth the trouble!" The woman said, drawing herself up regally.

"Good! At least we agree on something." With that the girl turned and walked away.

The woman turned to a priest that wandered in.

"I can't believe her. No wonder she was exiled from the clan. She's impossible. She fights everyone at every turn."

He nodded. "She has been nothing but trouble since the day she was born. So like her mother."

"The clan was willing to overlook her mother's little...problems. But when she named her only daughter Rajnish. Ruler of night? That was a blatant act against Dawn's Venus. Had her mother survived giving birth to her second daughter, she would have been thrown out of the clan."

"What brought her actions?"

"We are uncertain. All we know is that she started to sympathize with the creatures, and after her eldest was born she was openly defiant. I fear that she may have instilled some of these traits in her eldest daughter."

"And the youngest?"

"Disappeared."

"What are Raj– the girl's powers?"

"We don't know. She refuses to tell anyone, demonstrate, or otherwise have anything to do with her powers. We do believe that she is very powerful though."

"And you want me to do something about it?"

"Yes. Train her, get her to listen to you. The demons are active again, and we will need all the help we can get to destroy them."

--------------

"Come on, Jacklyn, you need more clothes than those white pants and white tank tops from the mental institution." Nozomu yelled through the door. "You only have to wear my clothes until we can get you more."

"But _the mall?_" Came Jacklyn's shriek through the close door. "With _crowds_? Do you _want_ me to have a panic attack? I hated malls when I was ten! Why would I like them now?"

"You'll just have to live with it."

"No, I don't." Now she was sulking.

"They have really good pretzels at the mall." Nozomu said, thoughtfully. "And the food court has all the best stuff."

The door opened.

"Only if I get a pretzel."

"Deal."

--------------

The mall was crowded, annoying and confusing. Just as Jacklyn thought it would be. She didn't know what sizes she was and Nozomu want to look at dresses.

Finally, they found the blue jeans. After Jacklyn had found the right size they bought a few and then she dragged Nozomu off to look at t-shirts.

"You do know these are guy's shirts right?"

"So? Oh, look! A dragon!"

After that Nozomu brought Jacklyn to find the promised pretzel. It was good, unlike the shoe shopping. Jacklyn's fashion tastes could only be described as...odd.

"But what's wrong with the steel toed boots?"

"You're kidding right?"

"Come on! Think what would happen if I was assaulted! One good kick..."

"_That's_ exactly why you can't have them."

"Fine, fine, fine. I promise I won't kick you...Okay?"

"Okay."

...And thus, the shopping trip was complete. Not as bad as it could have been. Nozomu and Jacklyn returned to the Moonshine to meet Oboro and Katsura when they arrived. In the meantime Misoka had some things to clear up with Jacklyn, so that she understood what was at stake.

"So you know that the Lunar Race needs the Teardrops. What we didn't quite make clear is that the Lunar Race is currently being swept with disease. They call it _Luna-morbus_ it means–"

"Luna meaning moon. Morbus meaning illness, disease and sickness."

"You weren't idle the last six years."

"No. What else?"

"If the Lunar Race is to survive, we will need the Tears and if we are to get the Tears we will need you're help. I can't stress this enough. We need you."

"Please, Misoka, be a little paranoid will ya? I might start to think you're not serious."

"Jacklyn, this is serious."

Jacklyn reached forward and grabbed Misoka's shoulders.

"It's okay. I said I would help and I will."

"Alright." Nozomu walked in. "I got a call from Oboro. He'll be here in about an hour. He wants to meet Jacklyn."

"Oh, boy. I just love meeting new people." Jacklyn muttered. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"No, that's it," Misoka said.

Jacklyn left, to go upstairs and put her stuff away. Nozomu stayed with Misoka, so they could talk.

"Apparently things aren't going well at the Lunar Palace," he said.

"We know that. Everyday, more of our kind die. Do you think she can do it?"

"Jacklyn? She's stronger than she looks. Smarter too. She can help, I know it." Nozomu said.

"I hope so, we're going to need her." Misoka said.

-----------------

An hour later Oboro and Katsura arrived at the Moonshine, having driven all the way from Kyoto, they were tired, but excited. Everyone was there to greet them when they came in.

"Hello, Oboro. I trust your meeting went well." Misoka said, stepping forward.

"Very well, Misoka, thank you. Everything went smoothly I trust?"

"Yes, sir. We even located the descendant of the princess." With that, Misoka stepped aside and gestured to Jacklyn.

Oboro bowed deeply to Jacklyn.

"I'm honored to meet you, Princess."

"Thank you. I'm glad to be of help." Jacklyn bowed in return.

"As you know, I am Oboro. I've come to oversee our progress in the search for the Teardrops of the Moon."

"My name is Jacklyn Frost, sir. I've come to help you with that."

"For that we are grateful. This is Katsura. She is also here from the Lunar Palace."

Oboro was an older man, with graying hair and a kind smile. While Katsura, a young beautiful woman with a bright smile, was quieter. Apparently she played the piano when the nightclub was open.

After these pleasantries were exchanged Misoka and Oboro went off to discuss issues is the Lunar Palace. Katsura and the others prepared to open the Moonshine that night. Nozomu and Akira took charge of showing Jacklyn the ins and outs of working in a nightclub.

"Misoka, where did you find the Princess?" Oboro asked, once they were both seated comfortably in the study.

"She was living in a mental institution. A good three hour drive away from here."

"I see," Oboro said, looking at the papers on his desk. "Then the records you stole were of use."

"They did help us to narrow down the search considerably. Without them, we would probably have spent the next four years searching."

"That is good. And her mental health?"

"Fine, though some might argue growing up in an asylum has left her a little...odd. She is sane. She was sane when she entered, according to her. Her father wanted the money."

"Is there a way of certifying that information?"

"Not completely. But I do have a copy of her mother's will."

Misoka handed over the will. Along with Jacklyn's mother's death certificate and the date she entered the mental institution. The two dates were a week apart.

"Will her father be a problem?"

"I doubt it. He sends a check to the institution once a month. Other than that he has had no contact. It is her aunt that worries me."

"Her aunt?"

"Yes, apparently she is one of the few people who believed in Jacklyn's sanity and visited often. If she should realize her niece is gone she may alert the authorities. Or come looking for her."

Oboro sighed. "Ah, well there's nothing we can do about that. Except maybe get Jacklyn to convince her to let the girl stay. We will cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Yes, sir. Anything else?"

"No, that's it."

Misoka stood, bowed to Oboro and left, going to downstairs to help set up.

That evening passed uneventfully, Jacklyn having preformed her duties perfectly acting as a waitress. She watched as Nozomu and the others danced and sang on stage, everyone fell into a trance watching them. It was that beautiful, and by the time they closed that night Jacklyn was exhausted, but happy.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep really well tonight."


	5. You're Lucky I'm A Blackbelt!

Location: Tokyo, Ancestral home of the Koudokui bloodline. 

"Hokuto, Keiko has just come out of her trance. She said that she knows where the creatures will strike next."

"That's good Mutsura. And the police?"

"They haven't gotten around to figuring out what's going on yet."

Hokuto nodded, this would work in their favor. He turned from Mutsura and went to see what Keiko had to say. Though she was an unwilling participant in his hunt, Hokuto wouldn't let her leave, even if he had to brave her _horrible_ temper.

"What have you found out, Keiko?"

"Give me a sec, would you? Trances are hard!" Keiko said, more out of a need to annoy Hokuto than because her visions were tiring.

Keiko banished Hokuto from her bedroom, claiming that she needed some time to gather herself together before she was ready to talk to him. Knowing how straining visions could be, Hokuto allowed this.

Ten minutes later, Keiko came out looking refreshed, if annoyed with him.

"Well? What did you see?" Hokuto asked. Keiko allowed herself a glare in his direction.

"I saw the creatures. They were fleeing a ship. It appeared that they had a Teardrop with them. It was night time." She paused. "There was a new moon in the sky, but they were still able to transform."

"I see." Hokuto thought on this for a moment. "I'll have to see about this."

With that Hokuto left. Keiko watched him go, noting that he never said thank you. _Well, in that case, I really don't feel bad about this at all._ She turned and entered her bedroom, making sure to lock the door before she pulled out her cellphone.

She knew she was betraying Hokuto. She knew she loved Hokuto, but this was for the best. It had to be done. At least...that's what she kept telling herself.

"Hello? It's me. I know where the demons will be next."

-------------------

"Alright, tonight's the new moon. So we're coming to have to be really careful. But with Jacklyn here, we should be fine." Misoka looked over at Jacklyn who nodded reassuringly. "We're going to go in, Jacklyn will give me a power boost so I can transform into the Jazz singer. Then I'll use mass hypnosis to put all the people to sleep. We grab the Tear. Jacklyn helps us transform. Mitsuru lifts us out of the ship and onto land."

He surveyed the group sitting in the living room. Everyone was tense, but ready.

"Sounds easy." Nozomu said. "We can do it." Nods all around.

------------------

Hokuto decided to test the creatures first. He sent in a tip to the police, anonymously, telling them all they would need to know. If the creatures were as strong as Hokuto thought they would be, the police wouldn't be able to stop them. There was no harm in trying.

When Keiko pointed out that he put innocent lives on the line, seeing as the creatures might be bulletproof, Hokuto merely shrugged.

"They can take care of themselves." He said, and left. It was after that incident that Keiko noticed Hokuto had stopped telling her of his plans.

-----------------

"You know what to do?"

Nod.

"Good. Remember: watch _only_. Don't interfere unless things go really south. Got it?"

Nod.

"Let's go."

-----------------

The Moonlight Bandits arrived at the pier early, ready for anything. They waited to board the ship, scouting out the other passengers. Misoka was first to notice the woman wearing the Tear as a pendant.

"Okay," Misoka muttered to the others. "We'll keep an eye on her. Mitsuru, make sure she's in the room before we use the hypnosis."

"Quick, guys!" Jacklyn pointed. "People are boarding."

Inside the ship they snuck backstage, to find the Jazz singer Misoka was going to impersonate. Standing outside the door. Misoka turned to the other three demons.

"Get in, knock them out quickly and quietly. No noise. Princess, you should stay here until we've got things under control." Jacklyn looked like she was about to argue, then decided to save it for later.

Misoka, Akira, Nozomu and Mitsuru entered the room. They were quick to knock the musicians out. However, one dodged around Akira and slipped out the door.

"Quick! Mitsuru, get him! He's headed straight into Jacklyn!" Nozomu pointed, from where he was tying up a saxophone player.

Mitsuru lunged for the door...which flew open. Jacklyn stepped in, dragging an unconscious escapee behind her.

"Very nice. You missed one." She dropped him next to the others. "You are so lucky I'm a blackbelt."

"You never mention that." Nozomu remarked.

"Are you kidding? I spent half my life studying martial arts in that cramped little room." She stooped to tie the man up. "I practiced a lot."

"Remind me not to annoy her." Nozomu whispered to Akira.

"Alright, Jacklyn come here and take my hand. I'll need a power boost to change my appearance."

"What about the mass hypnosis thingy?"

"Don't worry. You should be lending me the power for that now."

Jacklyn watched as Misoka's form shifted and grew fuzzy, then clear. Except when it cleared it was someone else's form. The form of the Jazz singer.

"Cool. Now we're off!" Jacklyn scrambled up and looked around. "Which way?"

"After me, then, Princess." Misoka led the way towards the stage he would be singing on.

"Well," Jacklyn said, patting Misoka's shoulder. "I'm glad I don't have to sing in front of people. Good luck Misoka."

Misoka gave her a bland look and moved towards the stage, adjusting his microphone. Everyone kept an eye out for the woman with the Teardrop pendant, while trying to look busy.

After Misoka had been announced, and Jacklyn had spotted the woman, she nodded to him and gave him the thumbs up. Misoka opened his mouth...

...and sang in the most beautiful voice Jacklyn had ever heard. People turned to watch, amazed. Slowly, almost too slowly, people's eyelids grew heavy, and they sank to the floor.

"Wow. That was _so_ cool!"

"I'm glad you thought so, Princess." Misoka came over to them, having changed back to himself.

"Now if we can get past the chit chat and get some work done, we can get out of here." Mitsuru grumbled. Jacklyn ignored him, he had been keeping up a steady stream of complaints since she met him.

Jacklyn walked over to the woman with the pendant and carefully slipped the necklace over her head. She turned towards the others and held it out, smiling triumphantly. Everyone took a moment to enjoy their small victory before:

"You have to get out of here now!"

----------------

Author's Notes:

Raven: Okay, this is shorter than the others, but it's worth it for the cliffhanger.

Audience: GAH!!!!! -throws things-

Raven: I'm sorry! -ducks and dodges- It was the only way I could get it to work. I was going to cut it off sooner, but this was more fun. Have fun with that.


	6. Is It Getting Crowded In Here?

"Alright, remember: we're only supposed to _watch._ Not interfere, unless things get really bad. Chances are that they can take can of themselves." Rajnish looked over at the girl dressed as strangely as she was.

Both were wearing loose black pants, black long sleeved t-shirts and black hoods that came down to just over their eyebrows and pulled up to cover their noses. Dressed as they were, it was hard to tell them apart. Their hair was the same length and color. They also possessed the same icy blue eyes.

"We've been through this. Now for the next thing. Why are we dressed like this? Doesn't it make us look just that much more guilty if we get caught?"

Rajnish fixed the girl with a glare that would've made the devil cower. "Then don't get caught."

The second girl shivered.

They stood and turned towards the ship, just setting out from the harbor.

---------------

"You really think this tip is good, sir?" Youhei asked. Kusakabe shrugged.

"It sounded a sketchy with all that 'Lunar Creatures' mumbo jumbo. But a tip's a tip. If there are creatures, we better be prepared for it."

So the two cops would get to spend the evening on a beautiful yacht, eating amazing food, and waiting to find out that the tip about strange monsters stealing jewelry was bogus. That didn't sound too bad did.

--------------

When Rajnish and her sister jumped they were careful to land quietly on the darkest part of the ship. Rajnish leaned over and whispered into her sister's ear.

"Find the creatures. That's first priority. But if I know Dawn's Venus they'll have something planned as well."

"Think we'll see some of our _dear_ relatives?"

"No. And Candrima?" She waited until the other girl nodded. "If you see them you disappear, got it?"

She nodded and they set off in separate directions.

----------------

Hokuto knew that what he was doing was stupid, irresponsible, and potentially dangerous. However, he just couldn't stay away, he had to see for himself what the creatures were capable of doing. Otherwise he would be poorly prepared to confront them.

And so, Hokuto had boarded the ship and sat somewhere out of the way, watching the police get seasick.

(A/N: Finally. Everybody's present and accounted for.)

------------------

Kusakabe was seasick, and apparently that made him irritable. More irritable. Which was why Youhei decided to stay in the ballroom, rather than keep him company.

This suited Rajnish just fine, because it meant that one of the two police officers was unconscious, and the othr was throwing up.

Rajnish across the roof to where Candrima was, giving her the thumbs up. Candrima shook her head and pulled down the lower part of her mask to stick her tongue out.

'_Hokuto's here.' _Candrima thought. _'He tipped off the cops.'_

Rajnish snuck over to see. "Is he armed?"

"Not that I can tell."

"Good. Let me know if he goes near the ballroom." She went back to her post.

Except that Kusakabe had moved...he was headed to the ballroom! Panicked, Rajnish did the first (and possible stupidest) thing that came to mind:

She ran into the ballroom and yelled.

"You have to get out of here now!"

-

-

-

Well, that certainly got their attention.

Unsurprisingly, Mitsuru was the first one to speak.

"What the fuck? Who the hell are you?"

"No one. Now listen to me," Rajnish started speaking quickly. "There are two cops on board. One you put to sleep, the other is coming. Now! If you go out that door you should be able to get away in time. Now move!"

Misoka took over the situation. He led the others out the door, only pausing to watch as Rajnish turned to the ballroom door Kusakabe would enter through, she braced her hands against it, holding it closed. He would have to take the long way around.

Jacklyn ran at Nozomu and threw her arms around him, feeling a surge of energy as he changed. That was when Kusakabe came barreling around the corner, dragging the still sleeping Youhei.

"Akira!" Jacklyn turned and hugged Akira, and cringed as a hail of bullets bounced off his back. He let out an earsplitting howl then held her up to his face and said:

"Just kidding!" Before he launched her up a story and into Misoka arms.

'_God, this is worse than those romance novels.'_

"Hold on, Princess." Misoka swung her around and over to Mitsuru, who she tackled and almost knocked over.

He transformed with the same rush of energy that Jacklyn felt from the others, then there was a rush of wind and Mitsuru and the others took to the air. Jacklyn vaguely thought she heard shouts from the police officers. But those shouts were growing fainter as they flew away. Jacklyn glanced back and saw two figures dressed head to toe in black standing on the roof, watching them take off.

Jacklyn had a moment to be amazed at the beauty of flying...and then she noticed that they weren't going up anymore.

With a muttered word that would have made most people cringe Jacklyn was plunged into the water below. As she struggled to the surface she felt Mitsuru slide away from her and she came up, gasping for air.

"Mitsuru! What the hell was that? Are you trying to drown us or something?" Nozomu yelled, Jacklyn looked around at the others, all unharmed, but without Mitsuru.

"Lovely. He can't swim. I'll go get him." Jacklyn muttered.

"Princess, can you swim?" Misoka asked.

"Sure I can," Jacklyn winked. "One of my personalities was in the Olympics."

She plunged into the water an swam downward, thinking all the way: _'Mitsuru, if you drown I swear to God I'll kill you.'_ After a few second she saw him drifting, his eyes closed. _'Lovely.'_

She pulled him up and handed him over to Nozomu. Then scrambled into the boat after him.

"Quick, who's got the Teardrop?" Jacklyn asked. Nozomu reached into his pocket and brought it out. Jacklyn sighed. "Oh good. I didn't want to have to go diving in the river for it."

Nozomu nodded and put it away. Katsura patted him on the back and looked over at us.

"Good job, you did it." She smiled.

"Well, that's great. Can we go home now? It's cold out here." Jacklyn said.

------------------

Later the Moonlight Bandits were gathered around the kitchen. Misoka had just finished giving Oboro the details of their mission.

"Oboro was concerned about the mysterious girl that showed up." Misoka began.

"There were two," that got people's attention. Jacklyn looked around. "You didn't notice? When we were leaving I saw a second girl dressed just like the first. They were on the rooftop."

"They didn't seem threatening." Nozomu said. "We might not have made it out of there if that girl hadn't warned us."

"They were clearly human." Mitsuru spoke up. "They can't be trusted." He glared pointedly at Jacklyn, who rolled her eyes.

"I think you left your foil hat upstairs, Mitsuru. You should go get it before the evil humans eat your brains."

Mitsuru snarled at her and took a step forward, but Nozomu reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"Whatever we think their intentions are," Misoka said, "we have no information about the two. Therefore we can't make any decisions about them."

"So...on to the next topic?" Jacklyn asked.

"What's the next topic?" Akira asked, his head tilting to the side.

"The police of course!" Jacklyn exclaimed. "Anybody know why they were here or how they knew we would be here?"

There was silence in the kitchen.

"Or not..." Jacklyn looked around. She shrugged. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it I suppose."

"Hm." Misoka looked around the kitchen. "I agree, there's nothing we can do about it now. In the meantime we'll work on finding the other tears."

----------

"Well that could have gone better." Rajnish muttered, she leaned back in her chair, putting her feet on the chair opposite hers. "But it could have been worse."

"As long as they don't hunt us down and kill us." Candrima said airily.

"That's the spirit." Suddenly Rajnish tensed. "But I don't like Hokuto. Ever since his father died he's been soulless. His aura is...I've seen better on people that were dying." She shook her head.

"I really thought that Keiko would be able to straighten him out."

"Yeah, but she's too pissed with him. I have hope, though."

"Of course you do." Candrima rolled her eyes and added more salt to her dinner.

"Can't be pessimistic all the time." Rajnish said, shrugging.

"And yet, you kinda are." Candrima muttered.

-----------

Author's Notes.

Raven: Well hi! Another chapter down. And...-cringe- It took way too long to get it up and I'm still not that happy with it. It's not my favorite, but oh well.

Misoka: You do realize that you're six chapter's in and only found one teardrop right?

Raven: Shhh! Don't remind me.

Jacklyn: She's in denial. -nods sagely-

Raven: Anyway. Thanks for reading. Updates might take longer because of stuff. Go annoy other authors to update if you can't wait. I guarantee that if I get an update on the fanfics I'm waiting on, I'm more likely to update. (Hint-hint) Now go! Be freeeeeeeee!


	7. Floating Devices and Trancey Things

_Location:_ _Courtyard of a shrine belonging to the Himura family. Residence of Keiko Himura._

"So? You're not going to tell me anything else?" Rajnish asked, crossing her arms and leaning against the tree behind her.

"That's all I know. They don't tell me much." Keiko glared at a stray leaf.

"That's it?" Rajnish glared. "They underestimated the beasts so they're planning on beefing up their efforts. No dates, no locations, no nothing." Rajnish refrained from saying what she was thinking: _'Why am I using you as an informant if you have no information?' _And instead focused on Keiko's thoughts.

'_She doesn't believe me! She thinks I'm holding back. Look at that look on her face, she thinks I'm holding out. What can I tell her? They want me to do a trance tomorrow to see what I can predict. That's not worth saying, she knows they always want trances. She knows what their like. God damn them. They think I'm just a tool? They think it's easy to predict the future? Well, one of these days..."_

"Alright. Let me know how the trance work goes. I'll send you some food or something. I know how draining it is." Rajnish said as she walked away. Once again Keiko wondered what power Rajnish really had.

Once Rajnish got far enough away from Keiko she remarked to the thin air.

"It seems we won't have any information until tomorrow."

Then Candrima appeared, shrugging off her invisibility.

"You really should stop doing that you know. Drop enough hints and someone's bound to figure it out."

"Nonsense. Besides, I'll be able to sense it if they're getting close."

"So Keiko's doing that trance-y thing tomorrow?

"Yep. She was insulted at the thought that I might not trust her. She'll tell us anything she finds out."

"Delightful."

--------

"I've just had word from the Lunar Palace. The Emperor is pleased with the progress we've made so far." Misoka said. He didn't add what Oboro had told him about the Emperor's views on the Princess.

"That's good. Do we know anything about the other Tears?" Jacklyn asked.

"We've heard a rumor about a museum, but that has yet to be confirmed." Misoka replied.

"So we'll just confirm that and go in and get it." Nozomu said, "A little planning and it'll go smoothly. No problem."

Misoka leveled a glare at the easy going vampire. He would be the one doing the planning and he knew it would be no 'little' bit. Instead of mentioning it, however, he turned to Jacklyn.

"There was something I wanted to ask you about that night on the cruise."

Jacklyn looked at him innocently.

"Yes?"

"Blackbelt?"

"I told you: my aunt didn't think I was crazy. So she made sure I had everything I would need to escape. Including extensive knowledge of martial arts." Jacklyn shrugged. "Not like there was anything else to do."

"Well, in the future I would like to know of any talents you have that might help us." Misoka replied. Jacklyn nodded and decided to visit the nearest library, it had been awhile since she read that lock-picking guide. (Turns out it was a legitimate hobby. Who knew?)

"Now, there are two more things that we must turn our attention to." Misoka said. "The police: they knew we were coming. That worries me a lot. There isn't much we can do about it now though. It may never happen again. Meanwhile, these two strangers that appeared are most worrisome."

"Misoka's hobby is worrying, I think." Nozomu whispered to Jacklyn. To her credit, she was able to keep a straight face. It was Akira who laughed.

Misoka sent them an annoyed stare. They shut up.

"I think we should make it one of our top priorities to find out who these people are. We need to know them, what they want, why they are here, and anything else we can get. Understand?"

"I don't get it," Akira said. "They helped warn us about the cops. They must want to help."

"We don't know that for certain," Jacklyn said. "I agree with Misoka, a little paranoia wouldn't hurt. We shouldn't judge them too quickly."

-----------

_Next day, Kudokui residence, 10 in the morning._

Hokuto Kudokui prided himself on his problem solving skills. However, the problem of the Moonlight Bandits refused to be solved, despite his frequent sleepless nights and all consuming research. Keiko had promised to help him attain his goal of eliminating the Lunar Race, but now was trying to back out of the deal.

To compound the problem, the police were now taking more interest in the anonymous caller and the Bandits. Hokuto would have to find a way to smooth the situation.

The girl was the most pressing concern though. Hokuto would e the first to say that he didn't like unsolved puzzles. She hadn't transformed that night, though the other creatures had. Hat led him to believe that she wasn't as powerful as the others. They had somehow discovered a way to transform during the new moon, something that led to more unsolved puzzles for him to solve.

All considered, Hokuto decided reluctantly as he poured his morning tea, the entire mission was a failure.

There was still one advantage that he had however, Keiko was a valuable tool that could gain him a sizable advantage. If only she wouldn't be so stubborn. Her abilities as a mage left much to be desired, but as a seer she was invaluable.

That reminded him. Today was the day she would prove her usefulness and supply him with the specifics on the Bandit's movement.

"Mutsura," he said, turning to his friend. "Where is Keiko? I wanted to speak to her before she attempts a vision."

Mutsura paused to consider the question.

"I think she's at home; you know she isn't speaking to you."

"I had noticed," Hokuto replied primly. "I think she's being rather childish about the whole thing." He took a sip of tea.

"Yeah, well…you know how girls are." Mutsura said. He surveyed Hokuto over the rim of his teacup, the guy had no idea that she liked him. Mutsura thought to himself. _'Though, I can't understand what she sees in him.'_

"When do you think she'll be done with her work?" Mutsura asked.

"She said it would be by three this afternoon," Hokuto said, "I want to be there so I can get started right away. We won't be defeated by those mongrels again!" Hokuto glared at his tea, as though accusing it of being in league with the Moonlight Bandits.

--------------

As it was, at just the time Hokuto was talking about Keiko; Keiko was talking about Hokuto. Sitting with Rajnish in the garden, Keiko divulged the details of her latest vision, even going to far as to describe the police force that Hokuto would provide.

"Who does he think he's kidding with these tip offs? He's crazy! Those monsters could kill them easily!"

"He doesn't care." Rajnish said, the words coming easily, with a certainty that made Keiko believe them. "He only cares about his 'duty.'"

"Rajnish, why are you doing this? Why help those creatures?"

"All that is gold does not glitter." Rajnish stared out into the garden.

"Huh?"

"Hokuto is wrong to use the police as he does," Rajnish explained. "He is wrong to treat you like a tool, but that isn't all he's wrong about."

Not for the first time, or certainly the last, Keiko found herself wondering what Rajnish's power was. She also wondered what had become of Rajnish's sister. There were rumors about that part of the clan. Madness…murder…Rajnish was a figure cloaked in shadows. Her motifves eluded Keiko, yet the girl couldn't help but trust her shady distant cousin. Keiko could sense that Hokuto was crossing a line.

"I'll be in touch." Rajnish said, she got up and left, moving soundlessly as the night she ruled.

--------

Jacklyn yawned and rolled out of bed, stretching. She had had such a strange dream just before waking up…something about floating. Still trying to remember, Jacklyn opened her eyes and looked around.

Her dresser was floating a foot above the ground.

Jacklyn gasped. The dresser fell back to earth with a bang.

"Oh dear." Jacklyn stared at the dresser, then the other objects in her room. Nothing was out of place.

"Jacklyn," Nozomu's voice floated in through the door. "Are you okay? I heard a noise."

"Y-yeah. That was…just me. I'm fine." What could she say?

"Okay. Hurry up, Akira says breakfast is almost ready."

Footsteps faded down the hallway, leaving Jacklyn alone and in shock. What was that?

"I'm finally losing it."

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Raven: Another exciting chapter filled with mystery and intrigue. I'm going to have to change the genres aren't I?

Jacklyn: That took way too long.

Raven: Sadly this chapter has been sitting in a folder for a few months. I've been writing during math class and never got around to typing it up.

Misoka: You're kidding. Math class?

Mitsuru: And why is it I'm never around except to yell randomly?

Raven: Because I don't like you. Don't worry, I'll find something to do with you. In the meantime I have to figure out what's going on....that could be a challenge.


End file.
